Flagstaff to Page on US Route 89—black and white and red all over

Driving US Route 89 between Flagstaff and Page brings you into contact with three distinctively different landscapes: black volcanoes, multicolored desert hills and red cliffs.

At the southern end near Flagstaff is a volcanic area dominated by the San Francisco Peaks, the highest point in Arizona at over 12,000 feet. The peaks are surrounded by cinder cones and lava flows. The dominant color here is black—black lava and black cinders and the dark green of ponderosa pines. All that darkness is offset by red pine tree bark and patches of cinders in rusty red colors.

You can get close to one of the biggest of the volcanic formation by taking the loop road sixteen miles north of Flagstaff through Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Sunset Crater is the youngest volcano in the San Francisco Field erupting about 900 years ago. The road passes through the Bonita Lava Flow where magma oozed out at the base. The cone is 1,000 feet high and is crowned by red oxidized cinders that seem to glow at sunset and gave the peak its name.

 

Also on this loop road off US Route 89 is Wupatki National Monument where the ruins of prehistoric Indian dwellings are open to visitors. These ancient buildings were occupied for about 100 years shortly after the formation of Sunset Crater. The ash from the volcano made the land more fertile by absorbing moisture and preventing evaporation. By 1180 thousands of people were farming this region. Their multistory buildings are still standing today as a testament to their excellence as stone masons.

The middle part of US 89 between Page and Flagstaff passes through the Painted Desert on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Here you will marvel at the soft hills striped in white, red, brown and purple. It is hard to believe that this now dry land was once dominated by dinosaurs and giant trees as evidenced by logs of petrified wood. The highway reaches its low point at the Cameron Trading Post on the banks of the Little Colorado River.

Cameron was established in 1911 when the bridge across the Little Colorado was completed. Today it is a popular stop for travelers and includes a large gift shop, restaurant and lodge. Be sure to visit the gallery in a separate historic building where you will find examples of fine Indian arts and crafts, both historic and contemporary. Also, tucked away in the back of the gift shop are a couple of display cases of “pawn”. You will feel like you’ve found a hidden treasure when you spy a very nice piece of jewelry at a reasonable price.

Cameron is also the gateway town to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Look for the intersection with Arizona Route 64 just south of town. It is a 30 minute drive to the east entrance of Grand Canyon National Park. Stop at one of the view points along the way to see the canyon of the Little Colorado River.

At the northern end, US 89 parallels the 800 foot high Echo Cliffs that gently guide you toward the Colorado River in Marble Canyon. Here the dominant colors are the red and white strata of petrified sand dunes.. At Bitter Springs, US 89 continues north and switchbacks up the cliff face to a broad, high desert plateau leading to Lake Powell, a blue expanse of water from the Colorado River backed up behind Glen Canyon Dam. Alternate US 89 turns west toward Marble Canyon and the Vermilion Cliffs. See the Guide to Driving US Route 89 and 89A for details of the two roads between Bitter Springs and Kanab, Utah.

At A Glance:
Distance: 135 miles

Driving Time: 2.5 hours

High Point: 7,300 feet at the entrance to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument 16 miles north of Flagstaff

Low Point: 4,100 feet at the Little Colorado River at Cameron 52 miles north of Flagstaff/83 miles south of Page

Services:
Flagstaff: gas, food, lodging, camping
Cameron: gas, food, lodging
Cedar Ridge: gas, food
Page: gas, food, lodging, camping

Access To:
Kachina Peaks Wilderness
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Wupatki National Monument
Strawberry Crater Wilderness
Grand Canyon National Park
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

89 or 89A: That is the Question

Of all of the questions I am asked about traveling on US Route 89, one of the most frequent is about the two possible drives between Bitter Springs, Arizona and Kanab, Utah. Since both US 89 and 89A are about the same length and take the same time to drive, neither one has a clear advantage over the other. However, each road has unique features and possibilities for exploring this corner of the Colorado Plateau. I’ll describe what you can expect along each road so you can answer the question for yourself. For a map and more information, check out the road trip guides here Flagstaff to Page, here Page to Kanab and here Bitter Springs to Kanab.

 

 

Bitter Springs to Kanab on US 89A

US Route 89A is the original alignment of the highway when it came into existence along with the rest of the federal highway system in 1926. It became an alternative when 89 was rerouted to Page to facilitate the construction of Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. From Bitter Springs it is 14 miles to the low point on this route at the crossing of the Colorado River in Marble Canyon. Navajo Bridge was completed in 1929 as the final connecting link in the border to border highway. A new vehicle bridge was built in 1992. Stop at the visitors’ center and take a walk out on the old bridge to view Marble Canyon and the Colorado River 470 feet below.

The road to Lee’s Ferry is on the west side of the river. River trips downstream through the Grand Canyon start here and some of the best trout fishing in Arizona is upstream toward Glen Canyon Dam. You can also visit Lonely Dell Ranch, the home of John D. Lee, now lovingly maintained by the Park Service.

For 28 miles through the House Rock Valley, 89A parallels the Vermillion Cliffs. California condors have been reintroduced to make their home here and can be seen along the cliffs and near Navajo Bridge. Stop at the Donimgues-Escalante Interpretive Site to learn about the history of Spanish exploration across the Colorado Plateau. At the west end of the valley, a dirt road goes north along Coyote Wash and eventually connects to US 89 in Utah.

Straight ahead is the Kaibab Plateau. For the next twelve miles the road climbs 2,500 feet to the top at Jacob Lake. From here, Arizona Route 67 runs south to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This road is only open from the middle of May until the end of October depending on snow conditions. If you are traveling 89A in the off season, be sure to check ahead for current driving conditions.

From Jacob Lake, highway 89A descends the west side of the Kaibab Plateau to Fredonia. Pipe Springs National Monument is 13.5 miles west of Fredonia on highway 389. Continue on 89A for 7 miles to Kanab.

Bitter Springs to Kanab via Page on 89

From Bitter Springs, US 89 climbs 1,000 feet in 3 miles hugging the face of the Echo Cliffs through Antelope Pass onto the Kaibito Plateau. Near the top, there is a small parking area where Navajos set up tables to display and sell jewelry and other craft items.

The road slowly descends for 20 miles to Page. Three miles south of Page is short road on the west that leads to an overlook of the Colorado River at Horseshoe Bend. US 89 reaches its low point as it crosses the Colorado at Glen Canyon Dam. The visitors’ centers offers tours of the dam including descending inside the dam almost to river level to view the giant turbines that produce electricity for distant cities.

Views of Lake Powell and access to the lake at Wahweap are available along the highway to the west of Page. The road crosses the Paria River 29 miles from Page. A hike into the Narrows of the Paria is one of the highlights of this section of US 89. Check in at the BLM Ranger Station for a permit and for information on current weather conditions. Flash floods are common on the Paria in the summer rainy season, so proceed with caution.

Five miles west of the Paria is the intersection with House Rock Road. Take the road south to access the Coyote Buttes and eventually connect to US 89A. Permits are required to hike to the Wave and other spectacular rock features along this road and are available at the BLM Ranger Station.

US 89 continues west for 40 miles to Kanab.

What about recreational vehicles?
Several people who have asked this question have been driving larger RV’s and are concerned about steep grades. Be assured that both roads can be driven in larger vehicles. They are federal highways and conform to the national standards of construction. Since both roads connect Bryce Canyon, Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks, they are heavily traveled by tourists in all kinds of vehicles, especially in the summer months.

When we travel through this area on a round trip from our home near Tucson, we drive 89 in one direction and 89A the other. That way we can enjoy both roads and avoid having to choose one over the other. If you can only choose one, both are beautiful drives so you can’t go wrong either way.

Getting the Most Out of a Visit to Saguaro National Park

The image that comes to mind with the word ‘desert’ is of a desolate, dry place of sand dunes and little else. When you visit Saguaro (pronounced “sah WAH row”) National Park you will enter a lush world filled with plants and animals that have evolved to live in a dry, hot climate. Observing these creatures and learning their survival strategies is the most fascinating part of touring this park.

The park is divided into two districts thirty miles apart on the east and west sides of Tucson, Arizona. If your time is limited, you should concentrate on one district. They both offer ample opportunities to explore. And there is much to see—58 kinds of reptiles and amphibians, 74 different mammal, and 187 types of birds living among over 610 species of plants. Of course the most spectacular of these is the parks namesake, the giant saguaro cactus.

Saguaros grow slowly and may take fifty years to reach six feet in height. They do not begin producing arms for another twenty-five or thirty years. A mature saguaro can grow to fifty feet and weigh eight tons or more. Saguaro tissue is 85% water which it absorbs through a very shallow root system that spreads out from the plant as far as it is tall. This strategy allows the saguaro to survive on limited and widely spaced periods of rain.

Saguaros begin to produce waxy, white flowers in mid-April, reaching the peak of bloom on Mother’s Day. Flowers open at night and stay open until the following afternoon to facilitate pollination by long-nosed bats, birds and insects. The flowers ripen into a sweet red fruit that contains 2,000 seeds. Over a lifetime, a single saguaro will produce 40 million seeds only one of which will survive to maturity to replace its parent.

There is almost always some cactus, shrub or wildflower in bloom but the show is dependent on the amount and timing of rain over the park. This year the spring bloom was sparse due to low rainfall and a late season freeze.

Rincon Mountain District

The larger of the two districts is on the east side of Tucson. The mountains are higher here with a greater diversity of lifezones. There are 128 miles of hiking trails and  six backcountry campsites for those seeking a true wilderness adventure.

Stop at the visitors center to view the exhibits and the informative slide show, A Home in the Desert, and pick up guide books. The eight-mile long Cactus Forest Scenic Loop features scenic vistas and pullouts where you can view the great variety of plants and animals that populate the park. Be sure to stop at the Desert Ecology Trail which offers an up close introduction to the Sonoran Desert. Interpretive signs along the quarter-mile trail detail the adaptations that allow plants and animals to thrive in this rugged environment.

My favorite spot for sunset viewing and photography is the Javelina picnic area. Take a short hike up toward Tanque Verde ridge. The hillside lights up with a golden glow as the sun sinks behind the distant mountains to the west. Saguaros and teddy bear chollas seem to glow with an inner light. Use a wide angle lens to capture the panoramic beauty and then switch to a telephoto to isolate details.

Tucson Mountain District

Begin a visit to the western half of Saguaro National Park at the Red Hills Visitors Center. Take the time to view the slide show called Voices of a Desert which describes the desert from the Native American perspective. There are also two short nature tails at the visitors center to introduce the habitat you are about to explore. Just down the road is the Desert Discovery Nature Trail which will familiarize you with the ecology of the Sonoran Desert.

For a closer look at the foothills of the Tucson Mountains, take the five-mile long Bajada Loop Drive. This unpaved road has a primitive feel to it although it can be easily navigated by passenger car. There are two picnic areas and a short overlook trail along the drive, all three of which are worth a stop. The Sus Picnic Area is surrounded by hills and and dense desert vegetation. Take a picnic lunch and relax for a while to soak in the beauty around you.

The Valley View Overlook Trail is less than a mile riundtrip, passing through two washes and ascending to a ridge where you have a view of the Avra Valley to the west of the park.

If you only have time for one stop, make it the Signal Hill Picnic Area, especially late in the afternoon. From the picnic area, a quarter of a mile trail will take you to a rocky hilltop where you will find dozens of ancient petroglyphs. These markings on the rocks where created over 800 years ago by ancestors of the Tohono O’odham people who still live in this area. Their true meaning has been lost to antiquity but it is fun to speculate on what was in the mind of their creators. Of particular note is the large spiral that may be an astronomical symbol to mark the passing of the seasons.

I have to admit that I usually skip visitors centers and paved nature trails when I visit a national park. I’m anxious to head out to more remote areas to photograph. However, when I recently spent the day in Saguaro National Park, I decided to check out all of the areas most popular with travelers. I’m glad I did. Reading the interpretive signs while actually seeing what was being explained give me a new understanding and appreciation of the desert ecosystem. So my final piece of advice is to take a few minutes to view the slide show at the visitors center and hike one of the nature trails. It will make for a richer experience when you explore the rest of the park.

Go to the Saguaro National Park website for more information on touring the park. For information on more sights to see along US Route 89, go to the Tucson to Apache Junction Road Trip Guide.

Glacier National Park Webcams

Glacier National Park at the northern end of US Route 89 has perhaps the most beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains in the U. S. Thanks to a series of webcams you can enjoy the scenery all year ‘round. The park has set up eight cameras that broadcast continuously over the internet from various locations including one of our favorites, Two Medicine Lake.

Visiting the webcams is a great way to see what is happening at Glacier without leaving the comfort of your home when the weather is cold and stormy. The views show scenes of snow covered mountains and frozen lakes in winter. The cameras are also useful when you are planning a trip to Glacier and are uncertain of the weather conditions.

Be sure and check out the camera trained on an osprey nest. It is currently unoccupied but will be exciting to watch when the osprey return in May. Last year the pair had three chicks and were on the nest until September. We’ll keep our eye on that camera and post to the US Route 89 Appreciation Society Facebook page when the birds are back.

Australian Travelers Along US Route 89

Jim gets phone calls and emails from people located all over the world asking questions about traveling along US Route 89. It’s still a marvel to me that we are all able to be so interconnected. Every once in a while, Jim develops an ongoing friendship with a former stranger from a foreign land via the website. Bob Marsellos from Queensland, Australia is one of those people. He and Jim have been corresponding for quite some time and have become online friends.

Lo and behold, Bob and his wife Andre decided to fly over and do a trip along 89, including Tucson in their itinerary. Imagine Jim’s excitement at the possibility of getting to meet Bob in person! Alas, the timing didn’t work out for Jim–he was at a photography conference in Palm Springs during the time Bob and Andre were in our area. I, however, was lucky enough to meet them. They drove up to Oracle and we had a wonderful visit.  They are people with a ferocious travel bug, and this was one of a number of trips they’d made to the US. Since I’d lived in Australia for several years, we had lots to talk about. I felt like I’d made some good friends.

The great part is that they’re coming back in September to visit the Grand Canyon and parts of US 89 they’ll be missing on their current trip. This will be an opportunity to meet with them again. And this time, Jim will have a chance to meet his friend Bob in person. The wonders of our interconnected world!

Five Outstanding Scenic Drives on US Route 89

National Geographic selected US Route 89 as the #1 Drivers’ Drive in the world in its recently published book, Drives of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Most Spectacular Trips. Having driven over 20,000 miles on Highway 89, I couldn’t agree more. I have my favorite sections that I look forward to on our road trips and here is my list of the top five. I selected these places not only because they are fun to drive but also because they are outstanding examples of the variety of landscapes along US 89.

1) Pinal Pioneer Parkway, Arizona

From Oracle Junction north of Tucson to Florence, this 42-mile section of historic US 89 (now AZ 79) is known as the Pinal Pioneer Parkway. Crossing the high Sonoran desert, the road is lined with ancient many-armed saguaro cactus and forests of chain fruit cholla. Black Mountain dominates the view to the east and in the distance are the the Tortilla Mountains. To the south, the peaks of the Santa Catalina Mountains rise to over 9000 feet. Spring and fall are the best times for this drive when wildflowers and cactuses are in bloom. At the mid-point of the drive is a memorial to the cowboy actor, Tom Mix, who died in a car crash nearby in 1940.

See the Nogales to Tucson Road Trip Guide for more points of interest on this section of US Route 89.

2) Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona

Oak Creek flows south from the edge of the Colorado Plateau through Sedona to the Verde River. The 16-mile stretch of historic US 89A (now AZ 89A) from Sedona to the Oak Creek Vista Overlook takes the traveler through a wonderland of creek-side cottonwood and sycamore trees. Oak Creek has cut down through ancient layers of sandstone and limestone forming red and white cliffs that tower above the road. There are a number of parking areas and campgrounds that give access to the creek for hiking and picnicing. The switchbacks at the head of Oak Creek Canyon mark the transition from the lowland desert and the central mountains of Arizona on to the Colorado Plateau.

See the 89A-Prescott to Flagstaff Road Trip Guide for more points of interest on this section of US Route 89.

3) Logan Canyon National Scenic Byway, Utah

Logan Canyon is 40-mile stretch of US Route 89 between Logan in the Cache Valley and Garden City on the shore of Bear Lake. From the Wasatch-Cache National Forest boundary east of Logan, the road climbs steadily alongside the Logan River until it reaches the summit at the Bear Lake overlook. The forest-lined drive offers many places to stop for a picnic or to camp for an extended stay. The canyon is also renowned for its display of brightly colored fall foliage. From the summit, US 89 drops quickly to the shore of Bear Lake.

See the Brigham City to Montpelier Road Trip Guide for more points of interest on this section of US Route 89.

4) Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

For 45 miles US Route 89 lies inside Grand Teton National Park. Ten overlooks and picnic areas line the highway, providing spectacular views of the jagged eastern face of the Teton Range. Each is a photographer’s delight, with the Snake River in the foreground in the southern stretch, and Jackson Lake reflecting the mountains in the north. Although the road is open year-round, the most colorful time to drive it is in the fall when the leaves are turning and the air is crisp and clear.

See the Jackson to Gardiner Road Trip Guide for more points of interest on this section of US Route 89.

5) Kings Hill Scenic Byway, Montana

Passing through the Lewis and Clark National Forest, this 71-mile long section of US 89 winds its way along mountain streams through the Little Belt Mountains. Along the road are many outdoor recreation opportunities from fly fishing in the summer to snowmobiling in the winter. One of the highlights is a short hike to Memorial Falls located about a mile and a half south of the town of Neihart. Sluice Boxes State Park is near the northern end of the scenic byway. This primitive state park contains the remains of mines, a railroad and historic cabins lining Belt Creek through a beautiful canyon carved in limestone. A seven-mile long trail winds through the park giving access to its rich history and spectacular geologic features.

See the White Sulphur Springs to Great Falls Road Trip Guide for more points of interest on this section of US Route 89.

Do you have a favorite scenic drive on US Route 89? Tell your fellow travelers about in the comments section below.

Traveling to Montana? The One Book to Read Before You Go

Reading This House of Sky by Ivan Doig will make your trip to Montana a richer and more rewarding experience. Doig’s memoir of growing up in the Smith River Valley on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains captures the essence of what it means to be a Westerner and he paints a vivid picture of this beautiful, rugged and sometimes harsh part of America.

I first heard of Doig when we stopped in White Sulphur Springs last spring and met Sarah Calhoun at Red Ants Pants. Sarah explained that her decision to locate her business in White Sulphur Springs was based on reading This House Sky in which Doig describes in loving detail the town where he grew up in the 1940’s:

“The plainest fact I found, so plain that is seemed to me then it never could change, was that White Sulphur totally lived on livestock. All the places I liked best had the sounds and smells and feels which came one way or another from the herds and flocks out on the leathered slopes of grassland.”

Doig recounts a way of life among the open spaces on the edge of the Great Plains where hard working folks scrambled to make a living herding cattle or flocks of sheep. After reading his prose, when you drive along the Smith River Valley from Clyde Park to White Sulphur Springs and look off in the distance at the ranches, you have a greater appreciation for the people who continue in a tradition that has all but vanished.

Doig’s mother died when he was six and he was raised by his father, Charlie, and his maternal grandmother, Bessie Ringer. They moved often trying one venture after another, eventually landing in Dupuyer north of Great Falls near the Blackfeet Reservation. After graduating from high school there he went on the to earn a Ph.D. and embark on a career in journalism. But memories of his childhood and the realization that the way of life he know was disappearing prompted him to write This House of Sky. Since its publication, it has been heralded as one of the great books of Western American literature.

It is obvious from reading This House of Sky that the author is proud of his heritage and he conveys the love of the land and the people who settled it with elegance and wit. Read it and then go experience the place for yourself.

How to Find Up-To-The-Minute Driving Conditions on US 89

I have received several phone calls and emails in the last couple of weeks asking me about driving conditions on US Route 89. These inquiries have come from as close as Prescott, Arizona, and as far away as Brisbane, Australia. I am pretty knowledgeable about the various sections of 89, but I found myself struggling to provide information about whether a specific section was likely to be snow covered or clear.

That got me to thinking. What else is a blog for but to answer such questions and be a timely resource of travelers. So I started searching the internet for the best and most authoritative websites. Here is what I found:

All five of the states through which Highway 89 passes—Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Arizona—are part of the 511 telephone travel information system. The system is simple to use. When you are in a state, dial 5-1-1 from any phone. You will be connected to recorded information on current road conditions including construction delays and weather related problems in that state. You can navigate these systems using voice commands or the dial pad. The recordings are updated frequently so you will get the most current information. For more about the 511 system, go to the Federal Highway Administration website.

As part of the 511 Traveler Information system, each state maintains a website and a telephone number for calls from outside of the state.

An example of a Montana road condition map from January 20, 2011

Montana Department of Transportation Traffic Info: http://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/
Toll Free Nationwide:
1-800-226-7623
TTY: 1-800-335-7592
Highway Patrol
: 1-800-525-5555
This website has all the information a traveler could need to plan for driving conditions. There is a very cool interactive map that allows you to specify your travel route between cities which then indicates the road and weather conditions.

Wyoming Travel Information Service: http://www.wyoroad.info/index.html
Toll Free Nationwide:
1-888-WYO-ROAD
(1-888-996-7623)
The Wyoming website provides information by city or by route. It is not as detailed as some other sites, but it gets the job done.

Idaho Transportation Department: http://511.idaho.gov/
Toll Free Nationwide:
1-888-432-7623
While only 40 miles of US 89 cuts across the southeastern corner of Idaho, this website provides current information two ways: Streamlined for slow internet connections and older browsers and Full Featured for fast broadband connections and current browsers.

An example of a Utah road condition map with web cam from January 20, 2011

Utah Commuter Link: http://www.utahcommuterlink.com/
Toll Free Nationwide:
1-866-511-UTAH (8824)
The Utah Commuter Link website has an interactive map on the home page that gets you quickly to the information you need. You can added various symbols to the map such as weather and incidents. The map also shows all of the road cameras. Quick on a camera and the view appears in a window on the page so you get an instant view of actual road conditions.

Arizona Department of Transportation: http://www.az511.com/
Toll Free Nationwide:
1-888-411-ROAD (7623)
Arizona’s website is well organized and easy to navigate. There is a scrolling box on the home page with High Impact Traffic Alerts. Click to expand the listing for details, then click Go To Map to see the location.

For detailed weather information, I prefer Weather Underground. Search for a city by name or zip code for a five day forecast. One cool feature, is the new road trip planner. You can input up to four cities with the dates and times of your trip. Hit the Get Directions and Weather button and your trip is mapped out complete with weather and temperatures along the route. When you click on a weather symbol, a box pops with details such as chance of precipitation and significant weather. Weather Alerts are also highlighted in red in the driving directions. You can’t get more customized than that. Of course, you’ll get the best forecast from this planner the closer you are to the start of your trip.

If your trip includes visiting one or more of the National Parks and Monuments along US 89, you’ll find weather and road condition information on each of the parks websites. These sites will give you specific road closures and restrictions within the park. Also check the Plan Your Visit section for year round information. You will find links to the parks and monuments websites on the 89 Road Trip Links page.

I hope this makes your road trip planning easier and that you have a safe and enjoyable journey on US Route 89.

US Route 89 Road Trip Map Book Updated

We have just finished a complete update of our Road Trip Map Book. Based on our Spring 2010 border to border road trip we have added new information to the maps and road descriptions. Click on the link below to see a preview of the new edition and order your copy for only $15 plus shipping. If you think about it, it would cost more in ink and paper to try to print the road trip guides from the website, so this is a great bargin. The US Route 89 Road Trip Map Book would also make a great gift for anyone who dreams of a driving the most scenic road in America.

Off to a Good (if slightly late) Start

We finally took off yesterday at 5pm after many fits and starts, small catastrophes and a number of distractions. Since we were only driving from Oracle to Nogales, the later than anticipated start wasn’t a problem. Just hard on the nerves.

We camped (pulled in in the dark) at Pena Blanca Lake. Possibly the worst porta-potty situation I’ve ever seen. Well, no, there was that other time….

Anyway, this morning we drove to Nogales.

I stayed in the car while he proceeded down the street. While waiting (because we didn’t put money in the parking meter and didn’t want a ticket), I took a couple of snapshots through the car windshield. I think these are cropped to omit the dead bugs on the windshield.

From here we proceeded north. Well, I guess it was the only way to go at this point. We made a number of stops along the way. The shot below was taken in Tumacacori at the Santa Cruz Chili and Spice Company. A great place! While there, I just had to take a shot of the sign that says, Watch Out Falling Palm Fronds.

More tomorrow, as we continue north.

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